Author(s):
Gouveia, Luísa 
; Coutinho, Carla ; Mendonça, Emanuel ; Batista, Ana Paula ; Sousa, Isabel ; Bandarra, Narcisa ; Raymundo, Anabela
Date: 2008
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/4251
Origin: Repositório da UTL
Subject(s): Isochrysis galbana; microalga; colour; texture; polyunsaturated fatty acids
Description
BACKGROUND: Sweet biscuits, a traditional and nutritious food, can be healthy and very attractive when
redesigned to be prepared with the addition of a natural product, themicroalgal biomass of Isochrysis galbana.This
marine microalga is recognised as a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), mainly eicosapentaenoic
acid (EPA; 20:5ω3), and is a promising ingredient in the food and feed industries. The importance of PUFA-ω3 (an
alternative to fish oils) in food, and the need to increase the daily intake of these substances to promote a healthier
lifestyle is now well known.
RESULTS: Traditional butter biscuits were enriched with I. galbana biomass (1% and 3%) and evaluated in
terms of colour, texture and fatty acid profile, within 3months of storage. I. galbana biscuits presented total
levels of 100mg 100 g−1 and 320mg 100 g−1 of PUFA-ω3 (EPA + DPA (docosapentaenoic acid; 22:5ω3) + DHA
(docosahexaenoic acid; 22:6ω3) for 1% and 3% I. galbana, respectively.
CONCLUSION: The enhancement of texture properties, the high stability of colour and texture and the good
profile of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with emphasis on EPA and DHA, of the biscuits obtained, reveal a new food
market niche opportunity.
